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Tribal Pursuits
Story Summary This is the fourth story written in a literary format. The story of Tribal Pursuits follows the three leaderboard fighters in their rare forms waiting for the dungeons to open. They drink bitters as cocktails and argue about the importance of tribes in Texel. A reference is made to a notable forum member Yilun88 in this story. It is written in the form of a play or film, where the characters actions are not narrated but are described plainly in brackets, and their lines are written at the start of a new line on the page, like actor's lines. Story Characters Teres, a golden-haired horn player short on patience and long in wind. Syzette, a skeptic in search of a defender worth her while. Qal, an unflappable firebug from the unpronounceable lands. Act I (A clearing in the forest on a sunny day. A long table stands under a tree, laid with plates of nux and a large, sweating pitcher full of green liquid. Two goblets, and a bottle with a crazy straw, sit nearby. On the grassy ground, three deck chairs have been set up, each with a name stenciled across the top slat. Only the one labeled “QAL” is occupied, by what appears to be a burning pile of boulders. A few yards away, a red-haired woman is exercising, whirling a pair of scythes in a complicated pattern. Someone is playing a lugubrious tune on tenor sax.) Syzette: You sound tired. Have more bitters, why don’t you? (The music stops. A figure sits up off the ground, revealing a mop of golden hair and an even shinier saxophone.) Teres: I don’t need bitters, I don’t need nux, and I don’t need you near-taking my head off with those things. What I need is to get into the dungeon already. We’ve been waiting hours. (The pile of burning rocks stirs and comes to its feet.) Qal: It has been a while, on that we can all agree. We’ve each spent the interval in different ways—I by meditating, Syzette by training, and you, Teres, by making music. But now perhaps, we should pass the time together, by joining in a conversation. Syzette: Why not? If we eventually meet in combat, it serves me to know more about you both. (She does a final lunge and slash. The scythes fold back onto her back.) Teres: Must be nice not to have to carry your weapons. Sometimes I wish I were a hemi. (Syzette stiffens for a moment, then sits down cross-legged on her deck chair.) Syzette: Then call yourself a hemi and be done with it. Make your own fate. Teres: What’s the point? That won’t make me any less a xana. Syzette: Oh, of course. Being a hemi brings to mind the word “less.” Teres: By Yilun’s flame, no offense meant! Nobody cares about tribes anymore. Qal: Yet here we wait to be called to our tribal dungeons. Teres to Xanadu, Suzette to Hemiolis, and I to Ethernia. Syzette: Speak for yourself, hot stuff. I aim to fight in Xanadu. Teres: But— Syzette: Go on, speak your piece. Or toot your horn, if that pleases you more. (Teres begins pacing in agitation.) Teres: Beg your pardon but that’s wrong. Only xana fight in Xanadu Caverns, that’s what folk go there expecting! Syzette: Folk expect what they’re told to expect. If they see enough hemi in Xanadu long enough, they’ll come to expect that, I assure you. Teres: But that’s just because you sort of look like us! If I call myself a dragon and—and slither around Etheria, it won’t fool anyone. It’ll just annoy folk such as are looking for a dragon to fight! Qal: Those who seek out dragons will always find much to be annoyed about. Teres: When you were built, did someone drop you on your head? Syzette: Good one, band nerd. Qal’s a rockem, or did you not notice? Someone drop a theri on your head as a babe, perchance? Qal: I find this conversation unproductive. (The three of them fall silent. A bird chirps. Suzette clears her throat.) Syzette: So, anyone ever hear the one about a Banunu, a guardian and a novice defender? Summary The event consists of three tribal dungeons: the Xanadu Caverns (Xana), the Hemiolis Mines (Hemi) and the Grotta Etheria (Theri). Each dungeon has four levels of difficulty, and only one dungeon is open a day, except for the last day, when all three are open at the same exact time. This event includes the HELLO STRANGER ''' encounters. Players occasionally encounter either the Agaricans Myco or Polypo (who drop hero/rank fighters or power fodder and must be defeated in a single round, or 3 swipes) or the Witch Achromedea, an Audelinea color-swap who drops special gear. Unlike the '''Agaricans, Achromedea can be defeated in the standard 3 rounds, or 9 swipes. To actually receive the fighters and gear, the player must fully complete the mission. AMOK TIME! is the dungeon version of Frenzy. When it occurs, HELLO STRANGER ''' encounter rates are increased. As in other Special Dungeon events, Doxite drops from encounters. Doxite is similar to Pixite, but contains some of the new fighters and older event fighters. This event did not feature Harpy's Hoard, a fourth dungeon formerly opened on the fourth day which allowed players to fight to obtain gear from Achromedea. However in this event '''HEROS were re-introduced after being displaced in the last Dungeon event, Class Act. Event Units Category:Dungeon Event Category:Tribal Event Category:Short story Category:Events